Chance

Chance's morning in Los Angeles is shattered when Simon returns home to find a dead woman in Chance's bed. The shock raises immediate questions about Chance's life and relationships and pulls Simon into a tense, unresolved moment. This incident frames the narrative with a present-day mystery that precedes the backstory.

Months earlier, Rory shows up at Chance's door in an emotionally raw state, insisting there is a real connection beyond their one-night stand. Chance negotiates boundaries while avoiding commitment. Rory's arrival signals the fragility of Chance's romantic world.

To placate Rory, Chance and Rory pretend they met in a mental institution, creating a shared, but false, history. The ruse gives them a sense of closeness without real grounding. Rory grows uncomfortable with the deception and eventually leaves.

Simon tricks Chance into taking a call from her mother by pretending it is a man named Jack she is attracted to. Desiree announces she will visit, heightening Chance's anxiety about family dynamics. The setup begins a chain of schemes to manage her mother’s presence.

To escape spending time with Desiree, Chance persuades Simon to switch roles for the weekend, letting Simon spend time with Desiree while pretending to be Chance. The swap buys time but deepens the tension around control and truth. The stunt foreshadows the unraveling of their carefully constructed lives.

Desiree tells Chance that she is leaving Chance's father Malcolm, who is involved with another woman named Heidi. The revelation destabilizes Chance's sense of family and foreshadows more complicated adult relationships. It also pushes Chance to confront an uncertain future.

Chance confesses to Simon about her parents' divorce and the possibility that Desiree may stay with them for a while. Simon begs for $200 to pay off parking tickets, and Chance reluctantly agrees to loan him the money. The loan underscores their precarious household economy and interdependence.

Chance arranges a dinner with Desiree, Malcolm, Heidi, and Rory, hoping to ease tensions. Heidi is immediately drawn to Rory after watching him on a soap opera. The conversation reveals the divorce dynamics, with Malcolm denying Desiree's insinuations of sexual experimentation while acknowledging his love.

Later, Chance goes to a nightclub and meets Sara, who makes advances on her. They bring Sara back to Chance's apartment, where they spend a day together and Sara proposes taking drugs. Chance refuses and later finds Sara leaving the next morning, leaving behind a charged, uncertain aftermath.

The next morning, Chance awakens to find Sara alive and grateful for a place to sleep off the drugs. Meanwhile, Simon runs into Jack at the nightclub and learns that Jack is flirting with him. Jack's casual perspective on love and contact unsettles the fragile balance Chance and Simon were trying to maintain.

Jack explains that he sometimes has sex with women to feel human contact, and Simon realizes he may share that need. The conversation broadens the conversation about identity, desire, and human closeness. This moment acts as a catalyst for change in Simon's outlook.

Simon returns to Chance's apartment, and they share apologies for their actions. They acknowledge their mistakes and express willingness to pursue a real relationship. The backstory closes on a hopeful note, with a plan to build something genuine together.